


Life among the Stars

by Honey_Baby_Bee



Series: The Draé Legacy: When Light and Dark Collide Companion Pieces [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, Flirty Smuggler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:57:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6908167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honey_Baby_Bee/pseuds/Honey_Baby_Bee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wouldn't say I had the most exciting life before I met the Captain since it's nothing compared to hers. This is my story from meeting the beautiful Captain Zora Tán to the end of time because believe me, I'm never going to die.<br/>The Story of Corso Riggs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting the Captain

     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

           Resting after doing some repair work Skavak wanted done before the Captain arrives. I see a XS Freighter flying past the missiles being launched at it missing very one. _That must be our daring Captain with the shipment. Skavak never said how impressive their flying was though._ It looks as if they’re flying too fast to make a safe landing but the captain pulls it off. The sight of two armor-piercing missiles launching, pulls me out of my awe. Standing up to check where they launched from, I see three anti-air towers in the Seps control. I’m so lost in searching the launching point, I almost miss seeing the two missiles blow up a Republic APC, carrying troopers to Fort Garnik. _Crap, Skavak and the captain needs to be warned,_ running as fast as I can to the hanger. By the time I’m safely inside I’m out of breathe. I vaguely hear Skavak saying, “Ah there you are, Corso. The Captain and I were starting to worry,” winking at someone.

           “Sorry Skavak, but I just saw the Seps blow up a walker carrying Republic troops,” I pant. A feminine voice says, ”While then that’s my cue to leave,” surprised I look where the voice came from, “if you’ll kindly unload my ship. By the way, I didn’t catch your name?” she finishes looking at me. _Guess Skavak forgot to tell me that our Captain is a lady._  I courteously say “Oh um Corso Riggs, ma’am, and there might be a problem with leaving, they’ve also taken over three anti-air towers.”

           Skavak basically yells, “Why didn’t you start with that?!” As the Captain focuses back on Skavak, I take the time to regard her. I being a gentleman start from the top down. Light brown hair in a loose braid that goes over her shoulder, dazzling blue eyes with implants around her right. _I wonder why she has those._ She’s wearing a black cropped leather jacket, a fitted white low cut shirt showing light blue lace underneath, fitted black pants bringing attention to her hips and long legs, and finishing off with black leather boots. _Man does she have a figure, curves in all the right places._

           As I’m reappraising her ‘wardrobe choices’, I hear a cough. _Crap, I’ve been caught._ I look up, Skavak is giving me a look that could kill and the captain is looking at me with a knowing smile. _They probably asked where the towers are._  “Oh um yeah, just here in Drelliad Village. Good Luck, Captain.” Skavak slaps the back of my head as she leaves saying, “you’re an idiot Cor.” _Don’t I know it!_ “It’s not like we’re ever going to see her again after this,” I say sadly. _No matter how much I’d like to,_ I silently add.

 _She’s good,_ as I watch the anti-air towers shut down. Bang, bang… “Um Corso, I think they have company! Do you mind giving me a hand?” I hear Skavak yell. “Yeah just let me warn the captain!” I yell back as I search for my holo, finding it I call her “Captain, you there?” She appears, “Yes?”

          “We’ve got trouble at the hanger, separatists are trying to bust in. We’re giving them a warm welcome, but we could use a hand!” She looks at something, “We’ll be right there!” _We?_  The holo gets knocked out of my hand ending the call. I look around seeing only Skavak. I only have time to ask, “What are you doing?” before he knocks me out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

          The Captain’s concerned face is the next thing I see. Just as I’m starting to focus she runs off leaving a female republic trooper. She helps me up but I’m more concerned with what happened to introduce myself. Upon reaching her “It’s Skavak, he brought the Seps here then knocked me out, then apparently stole your ship and the blasters. Wait,” noticing I’m missing something “that son of a Hutt, stole ‘Torchy.’” Upon seeing the Captain’s face, I continue “’Torchy’ is my BlasTech ALT-25 blaster pistol.” _And it’s too good for Skavak, and means a lot to me…_

          My holo beeps, “Oh, look who it is?” as I answer it “Hello, Skavak, stole anything lately?!” Skavak appears chuckling, “Hey Cor, glad you’re still alive.” Causing the Captain to growl, “Skavak, you better land my ship now.” Skavak turns to face her, “Sorry Captain, no can do. Besides why should I be afraid of a little girl who’s never heard no?!” _I’m thinking he shouldn’t of said that…_ watching the Cathar trooper shake her head and the captain tighten her fists, “The reason you should, Skavak, is because when I catch you I will make you wish you were dead.” He covers his heart, “I’ll believe it when I see it, Captain. Now good day, thank you for the ship, the blaster, and a full cargo bay.” And with that the call ends. The Cathar puts a hand on the Captain’s shoulder, so they know each other.  Apparently the captain notices, “Corso, this is Sgt. Jessi Tae, my best friend.” Sgt. Tae smiles, “Hi!” Then turns to the captain, “Chey, I’m going check in with Gearbox,” _so the captain’s name is Chey…_

          “So you’re friends with a trooper, interesting… If you want to find Skavak, you’ll want to talk to my boss, Viidu in Fort Garnik,” I begin once I know Sgt. Tae is gone, “I’ll let him know you are coming.” Once she’s gone I call Viidu. “Hey boss, I’ve got so bad news. Skavak is a separatist and stole the captain’s ship and the blasters.” Viidu groans, “You’ve got to be kidding me! Those darn separatists are going to be the death of me!” I sigh, “No they’re not, boss. Relax. I sent the captain to Fort Garnik to meet with you. She should be there soon, boss” He grunts and ends the call. _Well I’m glad I might be able to work with her closer however dire the conditions may be._


	2. Helping Out

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

          I head to our warehouse in Fort Garnik after picking everything up, as the sun begins rising. Upon entering I see Viidu pacing, “Really, boss? What’s wrong?” He jumps, “Kriff Corso! Don’t sneak up on me like that. The captain hasn’t come back yet from meeting with Reki in Talloran.” I groan, “You sent her to Reki?” Viidu chuckles, “He’ll like her but I did put together a survival kit, just in case.” I put my hands on my face mumbling, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Viidu sits down and motions for me to sit at the table with him, “You like her.” I frown causing him to chuckle, “That answers that. I’ll give you credit though she is pretty incredible. I’m pretty sure even Skavak wanted a couple nights with her with how he was acting after they got into contact.” I growl, “He’ll never have that chance!”

          We’re quiet for a few minutes then C3-01 comes in, “Are you hungry, masters?” I look at Viidu who replies, “Yes C3, Corellian hotcakes and nectar for both of us.” Just then his datapad beeps, “Scratch that, for three.” I raise an eyebrow, “That was Reki letting me know that our captain is on her way.” _How does Reki know that?_ “Ah, and isn’t it a little early for alcohol, boss?” He shakes his head, “Never! Especially when you could be killed at any second!” I roll my eyes, “You’re over reacting.” He grunts as C3 puts our meal in front of us, “Sure, you have everything you’ve worked for be ruined then add to that having a man that has ‘Butcher’ in his name mad at you!”

          Then he exclaims, “There you are, Captain! Corso and I were starting to worry about you! Come join us for breakfast, don’t let this fine food go to waste!” I shake my head chuckling “Boss, quit acting like that’s your last meal. Rogun the Butcher isn’t gonna kill you.” I see her smile at me, “Good to see you again, Corso.” I look over to her, “Likewise. Looking forward to working together, Captain.” I swallow as I take in her change of clothes, _very Mantellian._ This morning she’s wearing a tan vest, a soft green top, blue jeans, and brown leather cowboy boot and belt.

          Viidu pulls her attention away, “Nice work in Talloran. We’re getting somewhere with this hunt for Skavak. Reki told me he gave you a way into the separatists’ hideout. Said something about a secret entrance?” _Everything makes since now,_ “Always wondered how Reki could steal so much from Mannett Point and not get caught.” Viidu rolls his eyes, “Getting onto Mannett Point will be extra tricky. For one thing, you have to swim there.” I cut in, “When the separatists invaded, they blew up the only bridge leading onto the island. Turned it into their private resort.” Viidu continues, “You’ll be walking into the rancor’s den, Captain.” She shrugs, “With how my week is going so far, it won’t be the worst that’s happened.”

          “If you download the separatists’ computer files onto this and bring it back here, we’ll handle the rest,” Viidu says handing her a datapad. “I’d rather go with you, Captain. My vibroblade’s pretty good for chopping separatists off at the knees. I call it ‘Hewie.’” _But more to spend time with you,_ as Viidu says exasperated “Forget about the separatists, Corso. I want that slicer kit here before the captain comes back.” I chuckle, “I’m on it, boss. Good luck at Mannett Point, Captain.” She nods as I head out.

          The slicer kit is in Oradam village, which isn’t that far from the fort. The village hasn’t been taken over so the journey to and from isn’t bad, I’m there and back in twenty minutes flat. “That didn’t take you long,” Viidu says on my arrival, “You didn’t have to run! She isn’t even back yet…” he ends chuckling. We sit in silence until the captain comes back.

          “Finally! I thought you’d never get back. Tell me you got those files!” Viidu exclaims when she enters. She sighs, “Of course I do! I was just saving Syreena from some of your goons.” as she hands him the datapad. He groans, “Great, word must be getting out we’re in trouble. The warehouse boys smell the blood in the water.” I go stand next to him, “Want me to knuckle down on the staff, boss?” He shakes his head, “Just keep an eye on them. If those idiots make another move against me, we’ll clean house. You did good, Captain. Corso found us a terrific little slicer kit, so we’re ready to decrypt that data.” She flashes him a brilliant smile as he continues, “We’ll know where to find Skavak soon but until then, I’ve got a special job that only you can do.” She sighs, “Let’s hear it, then.” He grins, “We need to distract Rogun by giving him something he really wants—a canister of some special chemicals from a nearby village.”

 _You’ve got to be kidding me?! Having a gorgeous lady like her, carrying something that risky!?_ “The ‘Big Boom Run?’ Are you kidding, boss? I can see it making Rogun’s day, but it’s blasted risky.” She smirks, “I like risky.” _Why did that sound sexy?_ I gape at her, “You don’t understand. Folks lose their arms and legs on this job. Heads, too.” Viidu sighs, “There’s a loopy scientist with a chemical that can supercharge artillery cannons-makes them do more damage.” Still trying to talk her out of it, “But it’s less stable than a drunk savrip on a speeder bike. Handle it wrong, and suddenly you’re little chucks of ex-captain.” Viidu shrugs, “Sure it’s tricky, but you’ve got the skill to get it here. Did I mention this run pays unbelievably well?” I struggle with giving him an evil look, as she smiles, “Worth a shot.” Viidu grins “Fantastic. I won’t even haggle down on your fee. That’s how much I respect you. Trymbo is the scientist’s name. Got a place in Oradam village, I’ll let him know you you’re coming.” I sigh, “See me before you make that run, Captain. We should talk.” _Probably for the last time, if the statistics are right._

           I head to the front room to wait for her, running into Syreena who stops me briefly. “Hey Cor. I met your girl earlier,” she says teasingly. I groan causing her to chuckle, “She’s nice, Cor. She’ll be good for you if you have the chance to be with her. Have a good day!” She gives me a hug before she leaves and heads up to Viidu. I’m only in the front room a minute or two before she enters, giving me a chance to figure out what to say. When she does enter she smiles at me, causing my heart to race. _Hold in together Corso!_ “Captain, the Big Boom Run isn’t a stroll on the beach. You’ll need an edge to make it back alive.” I pause as I get Flashy, “This here’s a SoroSuub SSK heavy blaster. It’s cut for a quick draw and got a hair trigger. I call it ’Flashy.’ Flashy’s the first blaster I ever owned. I want you to have it.”

           She gives me a tender smile walking closer to me to get the blaster “Thank you, Corso. I’ll take good care of it.” I forget how to breathe when she spontaneously kisses my cheek. She pulls away and I can see she’s blushing. She gives me a shy smile, “I should get going then. See you later, Corso.” I’m too stunned to even say anything back, _she just kissed me. Innocently of course, but it was still a kiss._ I have a slight grin as I head back up the stairs to Viidu’s office where Syreena is sitting on his desk trying to sidetrack him on seeing my expression, they both roll their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You gonna love jealous Corso! :)


	3. Joining Forces

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

          I have a short nap while we wait for the Captain to come back and the datapad to decrypt. When she does come back Viidu to meets her down below to safely contain the chemicals. I have to hold back a sigh of relief as I see her enter the office. “Hey Corso, I didn’t blow up in millions of pieces of ex-captain…” she says with a smile. I lightly shake my head and chuckle, “I’m going to thank Flashy for keeping you alive, Captain.” She rolls her eyes, “Flashy didn’t do a thing,” just as Viidu and Syreena walk in. “I’ve got good news and great news, Captain. We cracked the separatist computer files and found Skavak,” Viidu starts. “Babe, you promised you wouldn’t get so excited. It isn’t good for your heart,” Syreena says worriedly, I roll my eyes. He sighs “Sorry, sweetheart. But this is going to be great. Skavak won’t even see us coming! Hah!” The Captain cracks a smile while shaking her head, “Where is he? And he better still have my ship!” Viidu smiles, “Your ship and the blasters. Great, huh? We’ll get back everything he stole all at once. Skavak is taking the blasters to the separatist base. Those wackos built their headquarters inside an old volcano. Crazy, huh?”

          “What do you expect from foaming-at-the-mouth murderers? I wish that volcano would blow its top,” I cut in. The Captain sighs, “That would hurt innocent people too, Corso.” Viidu cuts in, “Skavak’s delivering the blasters to a psycho named Dareg at the base. You need to get there first. When he shows, ambush him, grab your ship and fly back here. Easy, huh?” She smiles, “You’re about to see a real hero in action.” Viidu grins, “Make that two heroes. I’m not sending you alone,” I perk up at that, “Take Corso with you, Captain. He knows more about blasters and vibroblades than anybody I’ve met,” while slapping me on the back. “I owe Skavak payback for taking Torchy. That was lower than low,” I reply, silently thanking him for allowing me to work with her. She gives me a smile, “It’ll be nice to have some backup out there.” I half smile, “Glad you think so.” Viidu rolls his eyes, “Then it’s a deal. You two head for the separatist base, kill Dareg and ambush Skavak when he shows up. I got a bottle of Chandrilan brandy to open when you get back.” She chuckles “Oh, I’m definitely on board now.” Viidu chuckles, “I’d wish you two ‘good luck,’ but I don’t want to jinx anything. Just come back in one piece.” She nods and looks to me so I say, “Ready when you are, Captain.” She sighs then turns to leave, I follow her out.

          “Is your trooper friend gonna come with us?” I ask as we almost out of the warehouse. “Honestly I don’t know, why?” she replies looking at me. I shrug, “Just wondering. Don’t know if I can be at ease around her, with us technically breaking the Republic laws.” She sighs, “She’s basically my sister and she is more than the uniform she wears. Just give her a chance, Corso.” I nod then suddenly the Captain breaks into a run. I look to see where she’s going and see her trooper friend as she says, “What’s wrong?” The Cathar looks up at her as I join them, “We’ve lost contact with my squad in a separatist base they’ve put in a volcano.” The Captain gasps and moves her mouth before she says, “As luck would have in we’re heading there too, so we’ll help.” I look over at her as the Sergeant swallows, “You will?” The Captain nods and Tae hugs her, “Thank you! Come on, we better hurry.”

          Thankfully we arrive at the volcano quickly with the help of their two speeders, with myself riding behind the Captain. As we head inside the base, I whistle “How in the blazes in the separatists afford this!?” Sgt. Tae says, “Jorgan was right, they must be getting Imperial help.” With the three of us, the separatists don’t even stand a chance and we quickly get to where Tae needs to go. We clear the room of all separatists before leaving her in there alone. After a while she comes back out, “Almost done…” We climb higher into the base, removing any witnesses as we go, after three flights of stairs we finally reach where we all needed to go, and we separate with a nod. The Captain and I head down the hall where Skavak is going to drop of the blasters. Once we’ve cleared the room we go to where Dareg and two others are, “You worthless criminal vermin. How dare you invade my fortress and murder my courageous brothers-in-arms?” My eyes narrow but I look over at my partner as she crosses her arms, “I’m known for my daring. Now where’s my ship?!”

          “Now you’ll just be known as the idiot who came all the way here to die. You are guilty of crimes against the oppressed people of Ord Mantell. The sentence is death,” he says before the three of them start shooting. Ironically the fire fight is brief, Dareg and other soldier fall before the last one surrenders. As we approach he throws away his blaster, “I surrender, I surrender! Please, I don’t want to die. I know why you’re here, and you’re wasting your time.” The captain stills holds Flashy to his head while she quirks an eyebrow, “Oh really?”

          “We were tipped off. We knew about you before you even walked in here.” That makes her put away her blaster as he continues, “Dareg was stupid to fight you. He got everyone killed when he should’ve just told you the truth. Skavak showed up a few hours ago to deliver the guns, but it was all a trick. He pretended to be on our side so he could steal some rusty antique droid from Dareg.” _What?_ Just as the Captain says, “That doesn’t even make any sense.” He nods quickly, “I know! Skavak helped us out a lot. We thought he was one of us. The droid was ancient—practically useless—but Skavak grabbed it like some big treasure and blasted his way out. He left in your ship. I don’t know where, but I can guess who does. Skavak has a girl at Fort Garnik named Syreena.”

        I groan as the Captain exclaims, “It can’t be her.” _I sure hope it’s not…_ “It’s true! Dareg talked to her on the holo all the time with messages for Skavak. She was our main contact. It was Syreena who warned us you were coming. If you want to find out where Skavak went, Syreena’s the one who knows. Please, let me go. I have a family back on the mainland. Please,” the man practically begs. “Separatist scum killed my family, and I promised myself I’d bury every last one of you,” I say as I walks closer to him while raising my blaster. He swallows, “I—I’ve only been here a few months. I didn’t kill anyone’s family. I only ever followed orders.” My eyes narrow as I say, “Then I order you to die.” The Captain’s voice speaks up, “Are you sure about this, Corso? He seems sincere.” I look over at her and seeing her alarm then I quickly look back at the man at my mercy, “Sincerity has nothing to do with it. Every one of these motherless scum deserves death. I can’t just let him go home and pretend like nothing ever happened!” She shakes her head and moves closer almost in front of the man, “Would your family want you executing people? Have you be exactly like the people who killed them?” I look back up at her “My family were farmers, not soldiers.” The man shakenly says “Please, I swear to you I’ll never serve a man like Dareg again. I’ll just go home and take care of my family.” My jaw tightens and I lower my blaster, “Get out of here before I change my mind.” He breathes a sigh of relief “Thank you,” than he runs as fast as he can.

        “Come on, Captain. We need to have a little heart-to-heart with Syreena,” I state once he’s gone. She nods, “Lead the way.” As we leave I see her worriedly looking at me, once we are out of the hanger, we see Tae limping out of the opposite one. When she nearly falls, we both run over to her, as the Captain exclaims “Oh stars, Jessi! Corso help me with her!” I slight smile, _as if you needed to ask_ , as she asks Tae, “What happened?” She shakes her head, “My squad is gone. I’m the only one left.” I look of at my partner to see her close her eyes and swallow before saying “Corso, can you get her by yourself?” I slightly smirk as I easily pick Tae up. “Good then, I’ll clear the way back to the speeders,” she says matter-of-factly. Once we get to them, I place Tae behind the Captain then get on the second speeder, thankfully we get to the fort in record time.

        “Chey, I need to go in alone. I’ll tell you what happened later, okay?” Tae says as she gets off, Chey nods and hugs her. As she leaves we head back into to the warehouse to find Syreena. Has we go up the stairs, I hear her talking frantically to someone. As we get closer I hear Skavak’s voice say, “I can’t believe you fried Viidu, sweetheart. So what if he caught you talking to separatists?” My jaw tightens as we hear her say, “He might have turned me into Rogun, I had to kill him. Besides, now we can finally be together.” Skavak makes an unbelieving sound, “Yeah… the thing is, my cargo hold is full and I’m busy with work. I’ll holo you sometime, though. I promise.” Syreena slightly growls, “What are you talking about? You promised to get me out of here. I’ve done everything for you, Skavak!” He scoffs, “You did it for the money, same as me. The only difference is you’re not actually getting paid.” He looks up and sees both of us, he smirks looking at the Captain as he says “I’ll see you around, darling.”

        “I’m not done with you yet, Skavak!” She exclaims as the call dies. “However I think he’s done with you, Syreena,” the Captain states sadly. Syreena jumps then turns around, “Captain! Corso! When did you two get back?!” I answer while shaking my head, “Enough to know you killed Viidu and were cheating on him with Skavak! I thought you had more sense than that, Syreena!” She sighs and drops her head, “I’m sorry, Corso. Skavak used me just like he did everyone else—that man could charm the armor off a Mandalorian. Rogun’s bounty hunters are on their way right now. We don’t want to be here when they arrive. I can help you find Skavak though.” I see the Captain look at me as she says, “Decision is yours.” I nod, “Tell us what you know.” Syreena looks down, “Skavak took your ship and the guns to Coruscant. If you go now, he won’t know you’re coming for him. Here’s a couple of shuttle passes to Carrick Station leaving for Coruscant tomorrow morning. I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you, Captain, like you were to me.” She walks closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry us girls all do crazy and stupid things, when we think we’re in love. Get out of here, Syreena.”

          She looks up surprised, “You’re just going to let me go?” She nods, “Despite everything, you are someone I consider a friend and I don’t let my friends get hurt. But please do us both a favor and get over Skavak?!” Syreena giggles at that, “I’ll do that, Captain. After I give him a nice punch.” I smile, “Give him one for each of us and of course Viidu.” She sobers up with that and starts crying, “Oh stars, I killed him! I killed one of the only people who actually cared about me! I can’t leave until I bury him.” I walk over to her then and wrap my arms around her as the Captain says, “I’ll just leave you two alone for a bit” then leaves. I close my eyes before I say, “I’ll handle it, Syreena. Just get as far from here as you can, okay?” She looks up at me, “You were always to perfect, Corso. But I need to do this.” I look down at her, “Then take care of yourself.” She nods as I pull her closer, “You take good care of both you and the Captain, Corso.” I look at her stunned, she slightly smiles, “I know you won’t let her face Skavak alone, especially since you care for her. Now go before those hunters show up.”

        I find the Captain in the front room where we had spoken earlier today, “Thank you for sparing her, Captain. She and Viidu were the closest thing I had to a family since… And I couldn’t have hurt a lady, I was raised to tip my hat and open doors for them. You probably think I’m some dumb farm boy, huh? Head full of old-fashioned ideas?” She smiles, “More like a dying breed. My dad always treated my mom and us girls like that, but also taught us how to fend for ourselves just in case no one else would. So I’m glad there’s still a gentleman around in the galaxy.” I half smile, “Glad you think so, Captain. It’s not healthy for us to stick around and we don’t know how long Skavak will stay on Coruscant, either. So let’s hop on the earliest shuttle tomorrow and catch him while we can.” She tilts her head, “We?” I smile, “I’m not bailing on you now, Captain. Besides my Torchy still needs rescuing.” She smiles, “Well then we better get started.”

        Tae is waiting for us as we leave, talking to a tall tawny Cathar male also in uniform. “Hey Jess, who is this?” the Captain ask as Tae sees us. “This is Aric Jorgan. He was coordinating our ops and now has been transferred under my command. I was… um… promoted to Lieutenant since I am the last remaining member of Havoc and Jorgan here was… undeservingly demoted.” He looks up at her and she swallows. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m her best friend, Chey and this here is Corso Riggs,” she says motioning to me. Jorgan nods, “I saw you working with Tae during her ops. You do good work for a smuggler.” She grins at that, “Why thank you, I think!?” Tae rolls her eyes, “So where are you going now?” I look over at the Captain as she swallows and shakenly says, “Coruscant, Skavak took my ship to Coruscant. We’re taking a shuttle to Carrick Station then leaving for there tomorrow.” Tae grins, “So are we!” then the four of us head to the Spaceport.

        Before we can get on the shuttle, two men get off and step in front of us. “Now this is what I call service. We step off the shuttle, and the bounty we’re here to collect is already waiting. Perfect,” says the Kel Dor. “I’m sick of being cooped up on starships, Xo’ru. I want to run around and shoot things for a while,” the Mon Calamari complains to the other. “Easy, Kindin. Greetings, gentlebeing Captain. We are here on behalf of Rogun the Butcher. It seems he’d like a word with you,” Xo’ru says. “You must be Rogun’s bounty hunters,” the Captain says matter-of-factly, “but I’m a little busy trying to get back the guns and my ship so if you could just come back later, in would be greatly appreciated.” Xo’ru crosses his arms, “No can do, so don’t make this difficult. We get a substantial bonus if we being you in alive.” She stops a moment considering it, “Oh, sorry don’t think that can fits in my calendar. Rain check?!” Xo’ru sighs, “You should have just surrendered.” Kindin cuts in, “But I’m glad you didn’t!” The resulting fire fight was rather short but it was four against two. Kindin felt first with blaster shots to his body from the Captain and a well-placed sniper shot to his head from Jorgan. Xo’ru took all four of us to take down but we finally manage then quickly got in the shuttle before it leaves. On the station, I’m apparently acting weird because I see the Captain look at me curiously, “This is the best feeling… A sky full of stars… a new planet waiting across the galaxy… It never gets old.” She nods chuckling as we sit at a table in the station’s cantina, “That it doesn’t, I wasn’t aware you ever left Ord Mantell.”

        “You know that much about me, Captain? It’s a rare woman who can meet a man and know his whole life just by talking. When I came back to Ord Mantell, I thought that was the end for me. Thanks for giving me a way off, Captain.” She gives me a small smile, “Cheyanne, please.” When he tilts his head, I clarify, “Captain is cute and all but if we’re going to be working together as partners or whatever, Captain is a little formal and sounds like I’m above you.” I smirk, “But what if I want you above me, Captain” She blushes but before she can say anything a droid comes to our table, “Miss Cheyanne?” She looks up “A7, what are you doing here?” The droid looks apologetic “I’m sorry to interrupt, young mistress. But Mistress Alena would like to speak to you, Miss Jessi and both of the young men accompanying you when you land on Coruscant. She also wanted to let you know that Mistress Talia is arriving here tomorrow and will be joining you.” Cheyanne brightens at that, “She is?!” A7 nods, “She has officially finished training.” She smiles, “Where are meeting her?” Thoroughly confused now I just stare at her as A7 says, “Mistress Alena has business in the Senate Tower, but she will also be staying at the ‘The Sky Palace’, young mistress.” She nods “Thank you, A7. We’ll meet her in the Tower.” As it walks away she looks over at me and gives me a reassuring smile before Tae and Jorgan walk up.

          “Was that A7 I just saw?” Tae exclaims, she nods chuckling, “Master Alena wants to meet with all of us tomorrow and Talia will be joining us on Coruscant.” Tae smiles, “Well it will be good to see them both.” Cheyanne nods “Yes, it will be. I don’t know about you but I need sleep.” Tae nods in agreement, “Definitely after my day. Rooming together, Chey?” She smirks, “We did only get two rooms for four. So yes, in less you plan on bunking with Jorgan or Corso.” _Only one I’d be comfort bunking with is you, Captain._ I mentally answer as she giggles and Tae lightly slaps her arm. “Okay boys, I hope you two can get a long because I have some overdue teasing to do,” she brightly says making Tae groan. The four of us head up the elevator to the rooms then Jorgan and I walk the girls to their door, “Good night, Jorgan, Corso.” We both nod but I add a half smile and a wink causing Cheyanne to blush again before both girls retreat into the room. “So I guess it’s just you and I now, Jorgan!” I exclaim causing him to look at me. “Yeah, I guess so.”


	4. Jedi

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

            When I wake up, Jorgan is already up, packed, and out of the room. I sigh and get up, stretching before decided to go on a run. About halfway around the station, I find Jorgan and Tae wearing work out workout attire. “May I join you?” I ask, internally laughing as Jorgan tears his eyes away from his CO. He nods then we turn to Tae, who smiles brightly, “Sure, why not.” I grin slapping Jorgan on the back, though throughout the run, I start feeling a bit guilty since Jorgan and I talk about weapons for the rest of the run. Well until she leaves that is. I smirk as Jorgan eyes follow her back to the elevator, “Enjoying the view, Jorgan?” The Cathar glares at me, “I have no idea what you are talking about, Riggs.” I chuckle, “Huh-uh, and I’m a rancor.” He glares at me again, before I slap him on the back, “I’m pretty sure we should get back. Our shuttle should be here soon.” Jorgan nods, and we head up to our room. After a quick shower, I get dressed returning all my weapons onto my person. Jorgan and I are the first to arrive at the cantina, so I pick out a large enough table for the four of us.

            “Good morning ladies,” I state as they come out of the elevator. Tae politely smiles and Cheyanne nods as they join us at the table. After they've ordered, a pale yellowish green male Twi’lek dressed in a Republic uniform walks up. “Lieutenant Tae, I’m sorry to interrupt but I need to speak with you.” Tae sighs but wordlessly gets up and follows him. Cheyanne raises an eyebrow to Jorgan, who shrugs, “Probably something to do with being the new CO of Havoc.” She nods understandingly before asking, “You’re not mad at her, are you?” He quickly looks up and shakes his head, “Why do you ask?” I silently chuckle as she rolls her eyes, “Because of how you were yesterday when we walked up.” He grimaces “No, I’m not mad at her. It’s not her fault.” She nods again before smiling with a glint in her eyes, “She’s something, isn’t she?” He looks at her questioningly before she clarifies, “A perfect example of the ideal soldier, friend, and” she pauses looking at him, “woman…” He chokes and his eyes widen as he slightly gasps, “I… I have… I have no idea what you’re talking about…” Cheyanne smirks, clearly pleased, “Sure… Well, I for one am glad she has you to watch out for her.” Flashing him a smile, I'm jealous of, then turns her attention to her meal just as Tae returns.

            After we’ve finished, Cheyanne wordlessly gets up and exclaims, “Tali!” before running to what looks to be a Jedi. I watch in amazement as the Captain hugs the Jedi, who even more surprisingly hugs back as the three of us walk over. Once the hug breaks Tae says “Hi Tali, long time no see.” The Knight looks over at the trooper, “Stars Jessi,” then hugs her as well. Jorgan and I share a very confused look. When both of us cough, Cheyanne begins talking, “So we’re all going to Coruscant. I’m going to find my ship.” She freezes immediately, her blue eyes widening fearfully, and I have the urge to protect her as Tae continues, “And I’m going because I’m now the CO of Havoc.” The Knight smiles, “Congrats on the promotion Jess,” then turns to the Captain, “Why do you need to find your ship?” in a challenging voice. I don't even think when I step in front of the Captain “Hey, leave her alone.” The Knights eyes widen slightly as she raises an eyebrow at the woman behind me who groans, “Corso, it’s fine!” I slightly flinch at the venom in her voice, but raise my hands in mock surrender “Sorry, I just don’t know who she is and I don’t trust her especially if she talks to you like that, Captain.”

            I watch as Cheyanne's eyes narrow dangerously as she says, “She is my sister and a Jedi Knight, Corso, so she can talk to me however she pleases,” then she turns sharply and walks away. I just stare at her retreating form wondering what the kriff happened. The Jedi sighs, “Sorry about that. I forgot to introduce myself, more worried about my sister. I’m Talia Draé,” she pauses when a little astromech droid bumps into her leg, “and this is T7.” She turns to Tae, “Is she alright?” The Lieutenant shrugs, “Her ship got stolen the same day you found Allura and…” The Knight grimaces, “The same time Braden was killed.” Jorgan and I share yet a confused look but I'm pleased that Tae looks just as lost. When I'm about to follow the departed Captain, the Jedi stops me, “I know you mean well, but when she is like this it’s best to let her cool down by herself.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tae nod furiously, “Yeah, following her will only make it worse. I’ve learned from experience.” The Jedi chuckles, “I remember that. She frightened you so much, you wouldn’t be anywhere near her for a good month.” I raise my eyebrows slightly amused, sharing a look with Jorgan who slightly smiling as Tae shakes her head, “Untrue! Oh, almost forgot this is Corso Riggs and this is my only squadmate, Aric Jorgan.” The Jedi turns back to us with a smile, “Nice to meet you both.” _So much for good first impressions_ , I think to myself as I rub the back of my head nervously “Sorry about what I said, I didn’t mean to offend.” The Jedi chuckles, “None taken I assure you.” I flash her a grateful smile as we walk back to our table.

            As the Knight eats, I try to spot similarities between her and the Captain. Both have the same blue eyes, but their hair is different. The captain's hair is a bit darker than the Jedi's but they do look quite similar, like sisters, even with one wearing civilian clothes and the other in Jedi robes. The Captain comes back later, so the Jedi stands when her sister approaches giving her a big hug. The Captain returns the hug then pulls away, “Are we all set to go? The first shuttle should be here now.” I awkwardly get up, “All set.” She then looks to Havoc, who says “We’re good to go.” Then finally looks at her sister, who smiles, “I’m always ready.” The Captain grins “Alright, let’s go.” The shuttle is waiting for us when we arrive and we hurry abroad. The ride to Coruscant is slightly awkward and quiet, so we are all thankful when we land at the Spaceport. “So, Master Alena wanted to speak with all of us,” the captain says. Then after a slight pause, her sister says “Okay, so we’ll have to check in with Customs then we can head to the Senate Building.” Just as she finishes, the droid from yesterday, A7, walks up, “Apologies young Mistresses, but urgent matters have changed Mistress Alena’s plans to speak with all of you privately.” The silver protocol droid turns to the Jedi, “Young Mistress Talia, you are urgently required. Something awful has happened and you are needed.” She nods “Of course, A7. Teeseven and I just need to go to Customs first.” A7 shakes his head “There is no need, I have already done so.” She sighs but nods, “Then lead the way. See you later.” We all nod before her and T7 follow the droid then the four of us split into pairs as we go check in.

            “I’m sorry, Captain,” I begin when we’ve walked away from Havoc. She sighs “Corso, please just call me Cheyanne or Chey.” I tilt my head, not really thinking about it, then shake it “No can do, Captain. So, you better get used to it.” Causing her to groan “Fine, then I’ll just have to call you Cowboy. How’s that?” I smirk “Whatever you say, Captain.” She closes her eyes as she walks to the nearest customs terminal as I go to a large window overlooking Coruscant. I whistle, “Everything on Coruscant is huge. You see those city towers as we flew in? How many people you figure live in those? Millions?” I exclaim as she joins me. The captain smiles, shaking her head, “She’s seen better days though.” I nod, “I heard the Sith Empire hit this planet hard, even knocked the Jedi Temple off its pedestal. Wanna find Skavak before we’re too old to shoot straight? We’re gonna need local help.” She sighs, “Got someone particular in mind?” I smirk nodding, “I happen to know the perfect guy. There’s a gambler named Darmas Pollaran who keeps tabs on everything worth knowing about Coruscant. Good man. You’ll like him.” _Hopefully, he’ll won’t like her too much,_ I think darky as she smiles, “Worth a shot. Where would one find this Darmas?” I grin, “Viidu always said if you look for a sabaac table surrounded by beautiful women, you’ll find Darmas, but I can narrow that down. I still have Viidu’s holofrequency contacts, and Darmas is one of them. Just me a second, and we’ll talk to the man himself…” finishing as I pull out my holo. A man with blond hair appears “Corso, is that you? It’s been too long, you rascal. What brings you to Coruscant?”

            “A friend and I are in a real bind. Is there a place we can meet you?” I state. “Of course, come to my private cantina booth. I’m here now, winning my tenth hand of sabacc against a very persistent Rodian,” Darmas says as he turns to face the Captain, “Hope you don’t mind the occasional blaster fire; the cantina’s in a rowdy part of Coruscant.” The captain lightly grimaces as she sighs, “I just came from a war zone. I’m used to blaster fire.” He nods, “Had a feeling you were more than a tourist.” I cut in, not liking where this is going, “Keep your comlink channel open, Darmas. I’ve got some bad news about Viidu.” He nods then he disappears as Havoc walks up and together we head outside seeing the large remarkable Senate Tower in front of us. Tae motions to it as she says, “So we’re going in there and you’re going…?” I look at the Captain as she glances at the data Darmas sent then groans, “To Old Galactic Market.” Tae grimaces, “Be careful out there.” The Captain nods, “Good luck to you both.” I look at her as they walk away, “Is there something wrong with that area?” She sighs, “You’ll see.” I internally huff but nod, “I’ll bring Darmas up to speed while we travel, Captain.”

            We take a city speeder to Old Galactic Market taxi terminal then head down the ramp to the concourse where the Dealer’s Den cantina is. We enter and a lavender female Twi’lek stops us, “Can I help you with something?” My eyes widen as my eyes rake in her body, um appearance, “Um… yeah…” Beside me, the Captain rolls her eyes “Yes, we’re looking for Darmas Pollaran. I heard he has a private cantina booth but I don’t know which one.” She smiles “Oh, your friends with Darm!? I’ll take you right to him.” Then she leads us, and I can’t remove my eyes from her as she walks us to Darmas. When we enter his private room, there are three women hanging over Darmas and on the Rodian’s side is only his bodyguard. Their game finishes when Darmas wins and the Rodian just gets up and leaves. When Darmas sees us, he gets up and walks to the couches that are in front of a large holo terminal then motions us over as the girls and dancer leave. As the captain approaches, Darmas rises and walks over to her saying, “Forgive me for being so forward, but you’re more radiant than a Tatooine sunset,” I glare at him as I see her blush as he grabs her hand and kisses it, “Darmas Pollaran, at your service.” I glance at the Captain as she smiles “Zora Tán, and I bet you say that to all the girls.” He shakes his head “Nonsense, my dear. I can’t remember the last time this dark cantina seemed so bright and lovely,” he ends with a wink and she blushes again. “Give it up, old man. She’s not your type,” I nearly growl.

            “Ah, Corso. Good to see you in person,” Darmas says as he grasps my upper arm then turns back to the Captain, “Sorry to hear about Viidu. He was a man of refined tastes and a terrible card player. I’ll truly miss him. Life is like sabacc. The trick is to quit while you’re ahead and enjoy your winnings—exactly how I’ll spend my twilight years,” winking at her as he sits down. She gives him a shy smile, “I can’t imagine a handsome man like you living as a hermit.” I groan as Darmas smiles, “Perish the thought. I simply have to convince the right woman to come with me. If you have any recommendations, let me know.” The captain seems to be playing all her cards as she leans on the holo terminal “Oh, I think I have one in mind.” Darmas smiles and winks before clearing his throat and standing, “Now, I know this isn’t a social call. Corso says you have troubles and I’m prepared to help.” The Captain nods, “I have the feeling I’ll need all the help you can offer,” winking at the end. Darmas smirks and walks next to her also leaning against the terminal “Good… Skavak is well known in the galactic underworld. He’s earned death sentences across the galaxy for everything from armed robbery to kidnapping. He’s known to be in the Sith Empire’s pocket, and he even cheats at cards. I’m only happy to help,” he ends with wink. She sighs, “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a card cheat.” Darmas smiles “Oh, my… beauty, intelligence and fine moral values—what’s not to like about that combination?” I glare at him as the Captain smiles up at him and lightly bumps into him with her side as he continues, “Soon as Corso mentioned Skavak’s name, I alerted all my best informants. I’m getting some interesting leads.”

            “What did I tell you, Captain? Darmas can find out anything. We’ll have Skavak in no time.” I state, willing whatever Force is out there to move him away from her. The Captain smirks, “So it seems,” then looks up at him, “I just wonder if that’s the only talent he has.” He smirks, “I have many talents, beautiful,” then he looks at me, “Skavak recently used the services of a data slicer named Kixi in the Migrant Merchants’ Guild headquarters,” he looks back at her, “Quite talented, I hear.” She sighs, “I’ll say this; the man has a way with women.” He lightly shakes his head, “I don’t think it’s a romantic relationship. Skavak doesn’t cavort with aliens—even near-humans like Kixi. Though she might be able to help you flush Skavak out of hiding. Be careful, though—the guild is well armed and doesn’t like outsiders. Now excuse me, darling, but there’s a Chagrian with more credits than sense. I really shouldn’t let him leave with all his money.” The Captain sighs “Well, then how about…” pausing as she goes on her tiptoes and kisses him which he heatedly returns, before she pulls away, “a kiss for good luck.” He smirks than pulls her in for another until my cough pulls them apart. I see her look over at me, but I’m too busy staring darkly at Darmas “Come on, Corso, let’s find us a slicer.” I look away briefly to nod before staring at Darmas until the Captain is out of the room before I follow.

            “Okay, what happened?” Talia asks as soon as she sees us come out of the cantina. I look at her, irritated “Are you going to tell her, or should I?” She scoffs then turns to the others, “We have to go to the Migrant Merchants Guild headquarters and by the looks of it so are you four, mind if we tag along?” Tali chuckles, “Of course not.” We clear a path together until we reach where the Captain and I split away. When we get there, she groans “Great, we need a clearance pass to get in there.” I chuckle, “Don’t worry, there’s bound to be somebody around here with a clearance pass. You ready for some more action, Captain?” She turns to me, dropping her head on my chest sighing, “I suppose.” We find one above the computer lab after killing about a dozen gang members. Since I’m walking slightly behind her, I see her nearly walk right of the platform we’re on. I stop her from falling by wrapping my arms around her waist, “Careful now, Captain, that’s a long drop.”

            “Yeah, um,” the Captain says as she nods, “thanks, Corso.” I chuckle, before turning her around and pulling her to my chest, “No worries, Captain, I’m here for you no matter what.” I turn my head and freeze, seeing a large group of heavily armed gangsters. So, when the Captain tries to pull away my arms tighten “Corso, you can let me go now.” After not getting an answer she seems to have followed my line of sight, and spotted the oncoming group as she gasps, “We should probably move now.” I follow her lead as we both drop to the floor and roll to the nearest hiding spot, where I let her keep an eye out. Tán nods when we’re clear, and we run quickly to the terminal where she puts the pass into it. It beeps then raises the door and disables the alarms, I watch awed as she silently puts a silencer on her blaster and kills every gang member inside with a single perfect shot to the head. We find Kixi pretty fast as she was trapped inside a force field which we disabled. “Been monitoring you on the security network. You sure know how to make an entrance,” Kixi says when we enter. “Guess we found our slicer—but why does this room look like a prison?” I state as I look around, seeing turrets aimed at the young Mirialan, who scoffs, “Because it is a prison. Thanks for noticing. Whatever issues you're having with the guild, I’m on your side. I’m just a slave here,” finishing as she as she turns around, facing us. “Relax, we’re not here to hurt you,” Cheyanne says simply, her eyes somewhat darkening. “Then is there any chance you’re here to free me? Because I’m definitely ready to not be here,” Kixi half exclaims, “The guild locked me up two years ago. Forced me to work for them. I’ll do anything to get out. What do you need?” I see Tán glance over at me as she says, “We’re looking for a man named Skavak.” She smiles, “I knew that Corellian pig-lizard Skavak had ticked off the wrong person. No wonder he was in such a hurry. Skavak paid the guild to clean his identity record. They made me slice into the Republic’s main database and delete all his arrest warrants.” The Captain grimaces at that, “No wonder Skavak gets around so easily—nobody’s chasing him but me.” She shrugs, “He mentioned some Sullustan lawman giving him trouble. Sorry but that’s all I know about Skavak. Not sure how else to help you.”

            “How would you like a job offer to dirty up his record again?” Tán states with a slight glint in her eyes. Kixi smiles, “You don’t even find to pay me. I saved copies of everything I erased from Skavak’s record. All I have to do now is transfer the data back… There easy. The minute he passes an identity checkpoint, it’ll trigger an alarm.” Tán nods before smirking, “Make it so no woman in the galaxy will ever touch him again.” Kixi nods, “I’ll register him as a plague carrier. Give him a nice case of Bothan Nether Rot. That’ll keep the girls away.” Chey smiles at that, “Good! Come on, we’ll escort you out.” The young woman grins and enthusiastically follows us out, with Tán in the front with me covering our exit. I enter the Cantina first, leaving the Captain to talk with the slicer. They only talk for a little while before Chey walks in then we walk back into Darmas’ private room. “An informant spotted you leaving the Migrant Merchants’ Guild. I trust Kixi was useful?” Darmas says as we enter. Tán nods, “She did a real number on Skavak’s identity record.” He chuckles, “On a world this crowded with people and technology, he can’t hide for long. My sources reveal Skavak is doing business with the Black Sun gang. A dangerous friendship for all sorts of reasons. Black Sun is notorious for keeping holo-recordings of all their meetings. No doubt they’ve preserved the highlights of Skavak’s visit.” I watch as the Captain tilts her head in thought, “I doubt Black Sun just lets anybody to peek at their holos.” He smiles, “Black Sun fragments its recordings over several computers to prevent unauthorized viewing. You’ll have to assemble the relevant footage by accessing each computer. But that’s a job for tomorrow…” I frown, quickly glancing at the chrono, as Tán looks at him “Oh, and what am I going to do until then?” He smirks and stands up from the couch, walking over to her, “Well, why not spend some time with me.” My eyes narrow as I watch him caress her face as he whispers something to her. The captain simply looks up at him and tilting her head as she responds. Whatever she said makes him smile and lean down so his mouth is by her ear before kissing her then pulling away as he continues speaking. The Captain nods, smiling as he continues loud enough that I can hear “Excellent, I’ll pick you up in around,” he looks at the chrono, “two hours. Sound good?”

            “Sounds perfect,” she responds then kisses his cheek and I can’t help but place my hand silently on my own cheek she kissed not too long ago. She then turns to me and we leave, and I can’t even look at her. As we exit, we cross paths once again with the Jedi, her droid, and Havoc. “Bout time you four finished!” Chey exclaims when she sees them, “Cowboy and I almost have our next clue on finding Skavak.” I see the Jedi look questioningly at Tae, who shakes her head and whispers something that causes the Knight to groan. After a while, it turns to a sigh, “Come on guys, there’s a security breach I have to deal with.” Tán chuckles as we all head to the city speeders and return to the Senate tower where Havoc and the Jedi enter as the Captain and I explore the parks outside.

            “So, you seem to know Coruscant pretty well, Captain,” I state simply as we begin walking around the Memorial Park for fallen Jedi. She nods “I should, this is basically a second home to me…” before stopping as we walk to a statue of two Jedi Knights. Now curious as none of the others got statues dedicated to them, I continue walking up to it and read the plaque aloud, “‘In memory of two of our greatest Jedi protectors, who died defending the innocent.’ Wow, they must have been pretty impressive to have their own statue dedicated to them…” I turn slightly, immediately stopping as I see the Captain is crying, “Are you okay?” She doesn’t say anything, just simply shaking her head and walking to me, and I wrap my arms protectively around her. Of course, before I get any answers as to why she’s reacted this way, Havoc rejoins us. I watch as Tae frowns, her eyes quickly glancing at the statue before she grimaces, “Oh Chey, why did you walk here?” The Captain picks her head up to look over at her and the Havoc commander sighs motioning her over and hugs her as she says to Jorgan and I, “Our ride will be here soon.” Just as she finishes, A7 approaches in a large speeder, “Good evening.” I see the Captain smile, rather adoringly, at the droid as he gets out and helps the women in the speeder, before she glances at us, “Are you coming with or do you have another place to stay?”

            Jorgan and I silently enter the speeder, sitting behind the girls as A7 starts up the speeder. As we take off I begin looking around eagerly, as I never been in a city this huge. Where we’re going must be high up as we basically soar above any other speeders. Not that I’m complaining the view is amazing, even better than when we arrived. After a while, I notice Tae glance back at us before continuing to speak to the Captain. I don’t even see where we’re going as the droid slows the speeder down, until suddenly a huge floating mansion appears in front of us causing my eyes to widen in surprise and awe. We land on a small landing pad in front of the beautiful estate, and A7 is the first out helping the ladies out of the speeder before walking off with them. Jorgan and I glance at each other before leaping out of the speeder to quickly follow them inside. Once the front door closes, the droid turns to us, “Welcome to the Sky Palace! If you both would follow me please, I will give you a tour and show you where you’ll be staying while you are here.” Jorgan and I look over at ladies, causing Tán to make a shooing motion.

 _The place is huge,_ is my only recurring thought as we follow the droid, who keeps glancing back at us as it points out rooms that might be of interest. After that’s done, it leads us down one of the upstairs hallways, stopping in front of two doors, “This is where you will be staying for the duration of your stay here. If you require anything please inform me or any other protocol droid you see on the estate. Your well-being and comfort are all that matters to us as you are our Mistresses’ guests. Please make yourself at home but do be courteous to our mistresses. Good day,” ending with a bow before walking off. I raise an eyebrow at Jorgan who shrugs walking and opening the door on the left. I frown slightly before entering the other door and freezing in place, my jaw dropping as I look at my new room, my bag dropping carelessly to the floor. The walls are painted in a natural green color that’s rather soothing and remains me so much of home, the only thing that doesn’t is the huge window wall overlooking the city that lays beneath it. I shake my head, as I pick my bag back up and placing it on the desk. Once that’s done, I exit my room still wearing all of my weapons at the same time Jorgan does, thankfully with all of his, and together we try to find the entrance and where the girls wandered off too. Thankfully Tae is still there looking around the front room, well that is until she sees us “Hey guys, how was the tour?” Jorgan and I share a look before I answer, “I haven’t seen anything like it.” Jorgan chuckles but nods in agreement. Tae smiles “Yeah, I’d say this is one of a kind, which it is, sort of.” I frown slightly, causing Tae to chuckle, “Most of their strongholds are unique but this one as a twin and is made to be reminiscent of their childhood home but isn’t an exact copy.” _Ah, makes sense,_ I think as both of us nod then I ask, “Where is the Captain?” She raises an eyebrow and I blush, “I mean… Cheyanne.” She grins at that, “She’s apparently getting ready for a date.” _So that’s what they were talking about_ , as I groan “She’s really going?!” looking at her rather pleadingly. She simply nods and I groan again and begin pacing.

            Both of them let me continue pacing until we’re no longer alone, and I’m startled by a feminine chuckle and voice, “So what’s going on?” Jorgan and I both jump before grabbing our blasters and aiming them at the newcomer, who is wearing Jedi robes. She simply chuckles, then waves her hand making our weapons fly out of our reach. Which makes Tae chuckle “Boys, I’d like to introduce Jedi Master Alena Draé, our host and Cheyanne’s and Talia’s mother.” Both of us immediately freeze. I groan, _kriff. I'm making bad first impressions everywhere_ , I think as Jorgan clears his throat and salutes her. “Good evening, boys. Sorry to startle you,” Alena says smiling before turning to Tae, “Jessi! I’m so happy to see you! Congratulations on the promotion and becoming the CO of Havoc. Though I’m sorry it came the way it did. I knew Tavus very well. I never thought I’d see the day he thought better of the Empire than the Republic.” The Jedi Knight beside her gasps, “He defected?” Tae nods solemnly, “My whole squad did. Jorgan got demoted because of it while I got promoted because I was the last remaining member of Havoc.” Young Jedi closes her eyes then goes to give her a hug, “I’m sorry.”

            “So, where’s Cheyanne? I didn’t see Lady Luck on the landing pad!” The Jedi Master states once the hug is over. The young Knight answers, “Um, Mom… Lady Luck got stolen a couple days ago.” Alena sighs, “I warned her. But that doesn’t answer my question.” I clear my throat, “Sorry, ma’am but Captain… um. Cheyanne is preparing to head out in town.” The Master Jedi rolls her eyes, “Should have known. You are?” I close my eyes and groan, “Um, Corso Riggs, ma’am. I’m helping your daughter find her ship.” She nods “Well, I’m glad she has a young man, such as yourself, helping her. Force knows she needs it.” Her daughter slightly chuckles, looking at me, “Is she going out to spend time with that man from the cantina?” I look at her surprised, “Yeah, she is… How do you know that?” She smiles, “I have my ways,” before heading up the stairs. Alena claps her hands together, “Well, gentlemen make yourselves at home. I assume that A7 has already shown you around?” Jorgan and I both nod, and she smiles brightly, “Excellent. I’ll see you all at supper,” she looks up the stairs and mutters, “hopefully,” before walking away.

            Once she’s gone, both Corso and I relax. “She’s not that scary,” Tae states, shaking her head, “Hey, why don’t I show you one of my favorite rooms.” Jorgan and I share a look before nodding, Tae rolls her eyes then leads us seamlessly through the mazelike hallways until she stops at a chrome door that opens revealing a well-furbished training room. We hurry back to our rooms, only getting lost a couple times, to change into our workout clothes. Surprisingly we find the room easier than we found our own rooms, almost like something was guiding us. Tae joins us in our workout, hitting training dummies. I’m only pulled back into reality when Talia comes in and asks, “So who is Reki?” Tae stops mid hit, “I have no clue.” AI just look at the Knight questioningly, wondering how she learned Reki’s name. The Jedi then turns to me, “You know him?” I nod, “Yeah. Reki is an old childhood friend of mine from Ord Mantell.” Talia closes her eyes, “And how does he know my sister?” I grimace, “That’s where her ship got stolen. She went to Reki for help.” She nods, “Thanks.” I look down before looking back up at her, “Why?” She shrugs, “He just holoed her.” I groan _great, I have him to compete with now too_. Talia and Tae make brief eye contact before the Jedi leaves, I shake my head before returning to my assault on the dummy _._  “Hey guys,” Tán says as she enters a bit later, dressed in a midnight blue dress. I swallow, as Tae looks up and smiles, “You look incredible, Chey!” She smiles brightly at her best friend, “Thanks, Jess. I thought this was safe.” Tae chuckles at that, “On you, nothing is safe.” The smuggler lightly hits her on the arm with a smile before turning and walking out. As she does, I groan, beginning to punch my training dummy hard, mumbling under my breath with every punch. Tae breaks the silence, “She’ll come around, Corso. Just give her time and be there when she needs you.” I look up, glancing at her and she gives me an encouraging smile which I return with a nod before walking out. Rather anxious and worried, I head to the entry room hoping she hasn’t left yet. So that I can at least say goodbye to her before Darmas takes her away. I’m shuffling anxiously by the time she walks down the stairs, taking my breath away with how flawless she is, like a goddess gracing the mere mortals with her presence. “I was wanting to tell you earlier,” I begin once she stops in front of me, “that you look amazing. And I hope you have a good time tonight.” She smiles, “Thank you, Corso,” then with that, she leaves, swaying her hips as she goes. I let out a low whistle, “I hope one day, I’ll be the reason.” With that I head back to the training room, smiling softly.


End file.
